FEATURE: Booking Categories—What are they and why do we need them?

When Disney’s Old Key West Resort (then simply the Disney Vacation Club) opened in 1991, there were no categories.  The posted point charts applied to all units in a particular class (i.e. Studio, One Bedroom, etc.)  Guests could request a particular area of the resort but it was up to the front desk to determine whether those requests could be met—if there were 25 first-floor Studio villas available and 30 requests from incoming guests for a first-floor Studio, five guests would be disappointed. 

The system saw its first noteworthy alteration in 1996 with the introduction of the BoardWalk Villas.  When the resort first opened it followed the pattern established by Old Key West—one points chart for the entire facility.  However, it became commonplace for early guests to complain that not all views were created equal.  For the same number of points, one guest may receive a balcony view of the BoardWalk and nearby Epcot theme park, while another guest was merely looking out at the resort entrance or valet parking lot. 

Since DVC was still actively selling points at the BoardWalk, they responded by reconfiguring the points charts for the property.  Rather than lumping all of the rooms into a single category, they created two—a Standard View and a Preferred View.  The Standard View included those views of the front entrance, parking lot and other relatively undesirable locations for a lower per-night cost.  The original points chart became the Preferred View which would include views of the BoardWalk, Luna Park pool, canal to MGM and other serene settings.  This move was designed to permit booking of the less desirable rooms for fewer points per night, but it also was the first step toward guaranteeing certain aspects of the in-room experience.  By paying extra points and booking the “Preferred View”, incoming guests knew they wouldn’t be looking at parked cars throughout their stay.

A few years later DVC would take it to the next level with additional changes at the BoardWalk.  The Preferred View category, combined with non-guaranteed member requests, proved to be insufficient to satisfy members on many occasions.  While the vast majority of incoming guests requested a room that overlooked the BoardWalk, only about 25-30% of the rooms in the Preferred View category actually possessed that view.  The result was many unpleasant front-desk confrontations initiated by members who felt they were entitled to the BoardWalk view.

Around 2001, DVC announced that the BoardWalk Villas would be further subdivided into three categories—Standard View, Preferred BoardWalk View and Preferred Garden / Pool View.  To this day the number of points required to book a night in either of the Preferred categories remains the same, however the view aspect of a room reservation at the BoardWalk is guaranteed at the time the reservation is secured. 

This move not only served to increase member satisfaction—all guests booking the BoardWalk Villas would know the sort of room they were getting at the time the reservation was secured—but it also expanded the benefit of owning points at a particular resort.  While it isn’t particularly difficult to reserve a room—any room—at the BoardWalk Villas seven months prior to check-in, it can be quite difficult to book a Standard View or Preferred BoardWalk View at that time.  Owners at the BoardWalk, who have a four-month booking advantage over other DVC members, possess a significant advantage when it comes to booking those two room classes.

DVC mirrored this move in mid-2007 at Old Key West.  In the summer of ’07 DVC announced that it was creating a separate category at Old Key West for rooms that are “close to the Hospitality House.”  Given the distance of many OKW rooms from the Hospitality House (which includes the front desk, Olivia’s restaurant, the main pool, boat dock, etc.), requesting a room that is close to the Hospitality House has become commonplace among resort guests.  DVC responded by creating a specific category for these requests—a benefit which will be of most benefit to owners at Old Key West.

So what about other resorts?  Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas has categories such as Value (smaller rooms), Standard View (pool, parking lot), Savanna View and Concierge.  Most of these categories were created to service the different point charts at each level.  However I wonder how many AKV guests realize that only 60% of the Concierge level DVC units have a Savanna View—the other 40% overlook the main pool.  Should those paying a premium for the Concierge level know whether they will overlook the Savanna before they even arrive at the resort?

And what about DVC’s largest resort—Saratoga Springs.  This resort can accommodate over 1000 parties on any given night, and has its share of desirable and undesirable areas.  The balcony view of Downtown Disney is one of the best available within the DVC program.  For those with mobility issues or plans to dine frequently at Artist’s Palette or The Turf Club, securing a room in The Springs or The Grandstand area would seem to be of paramount importance. 

Particularly with regard to Saratoga Springs many DVC members would argue that, aside from the low annual dues, there is little reason to own points at SSR.  Being the largest DVC resort, members can often call just weeks ahead of time to obtain a room at Saratoga Springs.  And given the system currently in place, that guest who books on 2 weeks’ notice has just as good a chance of getting a Downtown Disney view as an owner at SSR who booked 11 months out. 

Shouldn’t owners at Saratoga Springs—who choose to book their Home resort more than 7 months ahead of time—have the first choice of the location of their room?

The solution would seem to be a simple matter of creating separate categories and room inventory within DVC’s computers.  The BoardWalk Villas already has three room categories and Old Key West two.  As it is currently stands, the Animal Kingdom Villas will have no less than 6 separate categories:  Value, Standard (Kidani), Standard (Jambo), Savanna (Kidani), Savanna (Jambo) and Concierge.  How about a Quiet Pool View category at the Beach Club Villas or Downtown Disney View at Saratoga Springs? 

At this time DVC representatives claim they have no plans to introduce separate categories at other resorts.  Given that the changes at the BoardWalk and Old Key West were largely driven by member demand, it is our responsibility to encourage DVC to act in a manner that best meets the evolving needs of its membership.  Those who would like to see the sort of changes recently implemented at Old Key West expanded to other resorts are encouraged to contact DVC in writing via email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or more traditional means.